Cheap imports from China threaten Finnish trade: “The situation is unsustainable”

Finns’ purchases from Chinese online stores have grown rapidly. By the end of September, the quantity and value of clothes, footwear and home textiles imported from outside the EU rose again, and almost all of this stuff comes from China, says the Muoti and sports store’s release.

The value of the amount of clothes imported has increased by 29 percent and the quantity by as much as 63 percent. The value of the shoes 15 percent and their import volume 30 percent. Sports equipment, on the other hand, has been ordered 14 percent more in quantity and 15 percent more in value. The order volumes for home textiles have been growing enormously, as their quantities have increased by 48 percent and their value by up to 77 percent.

China’s share as the importing country was 99 percent of all imported pieces and 92 percent of the value.

The average purchase price of clothing purchases was only 7.26 euros.

This says a lot about what kind of goods Finns actually buy and also raises serious doubts that not all costs are included in the prices, the release points out.

– Finns are really hooked on Chinese online stores. The value of clothing purchases was 2.1 percent of the value of the entire clothing store, but already 5.1 percent of the number of pieces. Underpriced imports distort the market and eat away at the vitality of the trade, says the CEO of Muoti- ja sturtekauppa ry Veli-Matti Kankaanpää in the bulletin.

At the same time, genuine concern arises about the environmental effects of all cheap goods, which is also directly reflected in the EU’s increased waste volumes and bills.

At the same time as underpriced imports are increasing, the European Union just approved a new waste directive. It shifts the costs of textile waste collection and processing onto the shoulders of European manufacturers and importers, raising European consumer prices, the announcement opens. This also has an impact on EU waste management and waste management costs.

– The situation is unsustainable. The EU’s own companies pay for environmental and consumer responsibility, but online stores from third countries evade the obligations and gain consumer popularity. This is not real competition or sustainable development, Kankaanpää continues.

In the clothing industry – especially in clothes and accessories from cheap Chinese stores – harmful and dangerous chemicals have been found both for humans and the environment. It is good to be aware of this risk when buying products there, because the responsibility has thus been transferred to the consumer himself.

At the moment, the authorities do not monitor products ordered online from outside the EU, even though the use of substances found in products from Chinese stores has been restricted in the EU or is currently being restricted.